Volume 16, Number 7-8
Dec 1992

Binders' Price Competition Seen as Threat to Book Life

Greg Campbell had an editorial in the January 1993
Campbell-Logan Newsletter that bears repeating, since
it addresses an important topic that is rarely, if ever, discussed
in a public forum. It is reprinted here with permission of the
author, who heads the Campbell-Logan Bindery in Minneapolis and will
serve as president of the Library Binding Institute, beginning in
May 1993.

There is an emerging trend in library binding that is as
disturbing as it is mystifying to us. That trend, while providing
short-term glee to many library binding customers, should be of very
deep concern. It is the lowering of prices charged for library
binding in order to obtain binding contracts. What is occurring is
a classic price war that rivals that of the airline industry.
Public safety aside, it may be even more disastrous, as we are not
talking about the inconvenience of occasional flight delays or lousy
airline food. We are talking about the almost willful destruction
of civilization in the loss by carelessness of priceless
information, inspiration and our written or printed heritage.

Many binders are not able, or are no longer willing, to practice
sound binding procedures for fear of increasing prices, losing
customers or reducing already meager profits. We can think of no
other product or service that libraries purchase which costs less
today than it did last year or even five years ago. In all
probability those other products and services have greatly improved.
We honestly wish we could say the same for the majority of library
binding. Sadly we cannot.

What is happening to high quality library binding in the face of
lower prices? The bindings which you once could rely on, almost
unquestionably, to outlast the paper that books were printed on
cannot commonly be relied upon to do so today. This is not the
result of more permanent papers. It is due to the realization that
most librarians do not understand the differences in library binding
products or see that the differences in these products affect
differences in price. It is the result of profit motives, the
unquenchable greed of excess capacity, robotic mechanization and the
resultant "deskilling" of a craft that is trying to become an
industry. We are at a point where many library binders are actually
doing more harm than good to the books entrusted to them.

We feel someone must take a stand on this issue and it might as
well be us. Some of you may see our stand as that of a little boy
who is forced to eat sour grapes. We hope that the majority of you
will see it as a rebirth of a William Morris-like revolution. Demand
a better product rather than an inferior one. It is your
responsibility as a customer to set and enforce the ground rules as
to what is acceptable to the library and what is not. Library
binders will adapt to the standards that are set by their market
place. They can be very capable when they have to be. I hope to
inspire them in that endeavor as I am asked to steer a course for
our trade association in the coming months.